Gransnet forums

News & politics

Terror attacks in France and Tunisia/now

(394 Posts)
POGS Fri 26-Jun-15 13:19:20

What a scary time we live in.

One man beheaded this morning in France, now at least 19 people killed in attacks on 'possibly' 2 hotels in Sousse, Tunisia. That is what is being reported at the moment, they are believed to be tourists.

It must be terrifying for those on holiday being told to barricade themselves in their rooms.

Just awful.

TerriBull Wed 01-Jul-15 12:55:55

The original thread was about terror attacks in Tunisia and France, but somehow the enormity of the deaths of so many, seems to have veered off into a counter argument about colonialism and disaffected people who don't like living in the UK as if that somehow mitigates these awful events.

I don't know whether where we live affects how we react, I live close to London both my children work up there. I worked up in town myself during the whole IRA campaign and yes it can make you twitchy and paranoid. I'm not sure someone living in say rural Wales could understand that, some areas are pretty safe, I'd never say never, but I think it's unlikely terrorist would target a gathering in a church hall in a rural village anywhere when they could pick off so many "decadent" young people at say The Ministry of Sound, a proposed target a while back. I'm sure an atrocity taking out great numbers could be committed in any urban area up and down the UK, after all didn't the IRA kill people in Warrington I believe, not an obvious choice. Nevertheless, London and other major cities will be prime targets as demonstrated by the 7/7 bombings, I happen to know someone who was caught up and injured then and that has shaped my feelings to an extent.

I don't buy the argument that somehow killing innocent people is understandable because you aren't having a very nice life here. Some of those Jihadis were doing more than OK in the UK, they weren't all living in impoverished circumstances by any means, there are privately educated pupils there, medical students, university graduates and they happily took what this "horrible" country had to offer. I dare say some of the Londoners that went possibly frequented clubs and establishments they would now like to blow up.

Marching for peace and against fear, whilst commendable, is futile unless those who wish to randomly target us in terrorist plots take notice of all of you on those marches, or is it just aimed at only far right fascist and not also the fascists that make up ISIS, because they are spreading more hate than just about anyone at the moment. We are hardly likely to get "peace and love" all round if we know that we are an ever present target for mass murder. A march to resonate with most would need to include the denunciation of fascists across the spectrum and that would include those who are sympathisers of the Islamic State. Lets not forget a terrorist bomb is a threat to all manner of people, particularly in a cosmopolitan city such as London, as 7/7 demonstrated.

BTW I do think sections of Irish were put under the Police scrutiny in areas such as Kilburn where Irish communities were prevalent, when the IRA campaign was at it's height. The main difference between the Muslim threat and the Irish one was that the latter was sectarian and pretty much confined to Northern Ireland and main land Britain, but nevertheless I think some Irish were viewed with suspicion, possibly rightly or wrongly. The ISIS threat is more high profile and global. In any case I don't ever remember a declaration once a bomb had gone off along the lines of "that one was from Pope Paul V1 or it was the will of Jesus Christ" There wasn't such a pervasive threat from them, insomuch as their wanting to replace our way of life with something brutal, subjugating and inferior.

Galen Wed 01-Jul-15 12:44:14

Do we have any Muslim members of Gransnet I wonder?

jinglbellsfrocks Wed 01-Jul-15 12:14:46

After a while you definitely become like one of those turtles with a hard shell.

Oh back to the original!

Sorry.

merlotgran Wed 01-Jul-15 12:13:08

I was touched by those cards as well, janea, especially the one saying, 'So sorry we couldn't protect you'

One brave staff member chased the terrorist begging him to stop shooting the tourists. He was lucky to survive given it now appears the killer was off his head on cocaine.

I fear the tourist industry for the whole of North Africa will suffer now which may mean even more economic migrants. sad

jinglbellsfrocks Wed 01-Jul-15 12:13:03

anniebach I'm really surprised that little thing didn't roll off you. Perhaps you haven't been on GN long enough. grin

soontobe Wed 01-Jul-15 12:10:47

I had better put some, as the first word of that I suppose. In case someone says, how do I know they are peace loving.

soontobe Wed 01-Jul-15 12:08:52

Peace loving muslims are now going to lose a lot of tourist jobs.

janeainsworth Wed 01-Jul-15 12:03:47

Coming back to the question of whether Muslims should come out and condemn the atrocities - I can't copy I'm afraid, but a link has appeared on my FB page from Brotherhood in Islam, showing two brothers in full Muslim dress laying flowers in the beach in Tunisia and a card saying 'we're sorry'.

The comments that follow are all positive and acknowledge that the vast majority of Muslims abhor these actions as much as anyone else.

Marching is not the only way to express support for a cause. If people want to march peaceably, that's fine, but no-one should feel under any compulsion.

Ana Wed 01-Jul-15 11:45:21

No one mocked. They just pointed out that it was Sharia, not Shari. Please point out a post where your spelling was mocked.

Anniebach Wed 01-Jul-15 11:42:55

Ana, why should I have to explain after being mocked? Suppose I couldn't spell SHARIA, or genuinely thought it was SHARI, was mocking needed ? I am always willing to give an explanation if ask

petra Wed 01-Jul-15 11:38:13

Lapwing. Are you suggesting that all we post is ' Rest in piece' in response to the OP. Can we not give an opinion as to how these atrocities came to be?
Keeping shtumm for years about all that was/is going on didn't help anyone.

soontobe Wed 01-Jul-15 11:25:47

I was replying to Nelliemoser's post.

soontobe Wed 01-Jul-15 11:23:23

I also think that unemployment is an issue. Amongst all young people.

Anniebach Wed 01-Jul-15 11:17:00

rosesarered, I have defended innocent Muslims and I believe condemning innocent Muslims is a sure way to drive some young Muslims to seek a place of belonging in the most evil of places. You object to criticism of some acts carried out by we British yet have no problem in criticising British Muslims . Someone posted that British Muslims live a comfortable life in this country - immediately seperating a Muslim who is British from non Muslim British , we are treating Muslims as we once treated Jews and for me this is so wrong

As for your views on some Muslims snearing at the march ,so will British far right extremists . We claim to be a tolerant country yet history shows we have never been tolerant , in my life time I can remember signs in windows - no blacks, no Irish, no dogs. I remember the intolerance following the Windrush era. Who can blame Muslims for remaining in close communities , they are doing the same as the Irish did, Jews did, members of the commonwealth did, yet these people had family members who fought and died in wars in the British army

Some here have not the foggiest that - they are not English is racist

Nelliemoser Wed 01-Jul-15 11:15:43

Part of the problem is that people who feel under attack by racist views of all sorts. Like being abusively called Paki or whatever, are likely to feel very threatened by such casual racism and look for solutions which might push them towards extremism.

There are so many young people involved in this "behaviour" I wonder if it has something to do with teenage development and teenage angst, idealism, feeling excluded etc.
Many of the USAs school gun massacres seem to be done by teenagers considered loners, who feel alienated. ISIS is to some extent just giving that group of aliented people "a cause."

ISIS is very violent yes. But not so different from the "Red brigade
and some other very violent political groups of the 60s and 70s
The Chinese "Cultural Revolution." Pol Pots appaling regime in Cambodia.
Over 2 million Cambodians were killed by their own government.

There was also a lot of pseudo religious cults about then as well. The Moonies etc. Parents having to kidnap their children back and deprogram the brain washing.

people.howstuffworks.com/10-infamous-cults.htm#page=6
www.americansc.org.uk/Online/cults.htm

What is so worrying is that this sort of thing seems to go round in cycles.
Something about "Those who forget their history.....?"

rosesarered Wed 01-Jul-15 11:03:03

Put it down to the heat,Ana!grin

Ana Wed 01-Jul-15 11:02:43

And if your ipad was playing up, Anniebach, why not say so instead of letting several people point out that it is Sharia law not Shari?

Ana Wed 01-Jul-15 10:48:07

Goodness - four brief posts exchanged between Anya and me - the first of which was actually taking the mick out of one of my own posts - and it's seen as bullying of the highest order!

rosesarered Wed 01-Jul-15 10:28:30

Although, Lapwing, if you read all the posts on this thread, you will see that an awful lot of posters do care about the killings, and rather less about the sensibilities of Muslims who feel got at, in this country.
We are all adults on this forum after all, you should read some comments on other sites!Anniebach, all your comments have been about defending muslims both here and elsewhere, and blaming Britain for a lot of it which doesn't go down well as this is a British forum and British people have just been casually slaughtered whilst on holiday.
DJen, solidarity marches can be a force for good, but it's a bit like preaching to the converted, as those people who will take part are not the ones that
Need to think seriously about their own extremism, they will just sneer and go back to what they were doing.The March is a good thing, but I expect the amount of Muslim people taking part will be small, compared to the numbers who live in this country.

Bellanonna Wed 01-Jul-15 10:11:58

Stuff of school playgrounds Lapwing

Lapwing Wed 01-Jul-15 10:05:38

I have been reading some off the comments on this thread and I have to say that I am appalled. Posters seem to be more interested in scoring points than remembering those that matter, the victims of the attack. The families of the dead and those who will suffer for years to come.

Anniebach Wed 01-Jul-15 10:04:31

Anyway back to the march, I will be joining one in Wales. durhamjen , I am a member of Hope not Hate, I think some here would find belonging to a group who do not speak hate and vengeance comfortable

Anniebach Wed 01-Jul-15 09:47:29

When I joined this forum I was mocked by a group , it was awful, I hadn't been aggressive , just did not agree with a poster on a topic, it happened to be a poster who led a coven and they swooped, I was so grateful to the posters who extended kindness to me and only because of that kindness I was able to stay here, but I have never forgotten how being mocked by a group felt . It happened yesterday, I spelt Sharia as shari , my I pad is playing up and the a kept sticking, considering the seriousness of this discussion to mock spelling was not just rude but so trivial , then durhamjen was mocked last night and it was cruel . so playground behaviour .

jinglbellsfrocks Wed 01-Jul-15 09:31:21

Sorry! blush

jinglbellsfrocks Wed 01-Jul-15 09:31:06

spouted